Bahia
– a type of grass that is very drought resistant. It does well in sunny areas in warm humid regions. In Florida, it survives in level areas with no irrigation and normally goes semi-dormant during winter.
Basin – a designated sewer area where all the waste water flows to one point (pump station); each basin has its own pump station.
Building Services – the department of City of Fort Lauderdale that provides services for building-related activities including Planning and Zoning, Community Inspections, Engineering Permitting, Fire Plan Review, Landscaping, Business Tax, Public Records and Building Services.
Capital Improvement – Any structural improvement that extends the life and increases the value and capacity of an area.
Cleanout – a small opening that allows access for clog removal or remote camera inspection.
Connection user fee – a one-time cost to connect to the sewer system.
Construction manager – a person responsible for managing the execution and completion of construction in a designated area.
Control Panel – an above ground electrical unit that activates and deactivates the pumps.
Dewatering pump -- A mechanism used to pump water from the well points to lower the groundwater to the silt separation tanks prior to discharge into the storm drain. The pump must have sufficient gallons per minute to lower the groundwater so the pipe can be installed during construction.
Dewatering system – a system that includes well points, dewatering pump (see above), and silt separation tank prior to discharge into the storm drain.
Easement – a formal contractual right granted to a municipality to use a part of land which is owned by another person for a specific purpose; easements can be temporary but more commonly are permanent.
Excavation – Digging and removing earth material from the ground which result in a change in site elevation.
Equivalent Residential Connection (ERC) – a flow based measure of a customer’s use of the sanitary sewer collection system.
Fill material – any material brought to a site to augment the existing habitation (e.g. rock, sand). Also known as imported fill.
Force main – an underground pressurized pipe that actively transports or ‘forces’ waste to a treatment plant or to another pump station.
Gravity Sewer main (see also sewer main) -- the sewer to which service connections are made from individual residences.
Gravity Sewers (see also sewers) – underground pipes that transports waste to the pump station.
Inspector (see Resident Project Representative)
Lateral (see also sewer lateral) -- an underground pipe that transports waste from the home/business to the sewer.
Leak – a crack in a pipe that allows groundwater and foreign debris into gravity sewers.
Lift station -- a device that transfers water from one location to the other; then the pump or "lift," station push the wastewater back uphill to a high point where gravity can once again take over the process.
Manhole – a hole in the roadway with a cover that allows a person access to the underground piping for inspection and repairs. Also known as a maintenance access point, maintenance hole and sewer access hole.
Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) – a plan that outlines traffic flow on a street by street basis during construction
Notice to Proceed (NTP) -- Official written notice to mobilize (e.g. locating equipment to area) for construction. NTP is issued after a signed contract and after the preconstruction meeting. The actual construction work usually starts two-six weeks later.
Potable water -- water of a quality suitable for drinking and free from impurities that may cause disease or harmful physiological effects.
Public Outreach Coordinator – a designated person who interacts with a particular community during the construction process for that targeted area.
Public Right-of-Way (ROW) – land owned by a public entity (e.g. City of Fort Lauderdale).
Pump station (see also lift station) – a facility in a sewer system that collects and pumps (lifts) waste directly to a treatment plant or to another station at a higher elevation so that gravity can transport it to the treatment plant.
Program Director – the person who oversees and manages the entire operation of the WaterWorks project.
Resident Project Representative (RPR) (see also Inspector) – an inspector designated to make in the field decisions regarding certain resident complaints and construction-related issues.
Sanitary sewer -- type of underground carriage system for transporting
sewage from houses or industry to treatment or disposal. In some areas, sanitary sewers are separate sewer systems specifically for the carrying of domestic and industrial wastewater, and are operated separately and independently of storm drains, which carry the runoff of rain and other water which wash into city streets. Sanitary lines generally consist of laterals (services to a particular unit), mains, and manholes (or other various forms of traps).
Septic Tank -- underground receptacle/tank for wastewater from a home that is not connected to a municipal sewer system; a tank on a property into which raw sewage is discharged.
Septic Tank Abandonment – the process of pumping sewage and other waste from the property’s septic tank; removing and setting the lid at the bottom of the tank; and then filling the tank with granular material or concrete to prevent settling.
Sewer Lateral (see also Lateral) -- an underground pipe that transports waste from the home/business to the sewer.
Sewer main (see also Gravity sewer main) – a mechanism that makes service connections from individual residences.
Sewer system -- an underground system of pipes used to carry off sewage and surface water runoff.
Sewer surcharge fee -- a 10% surcharge on the standard monthly sanitary sewer rates. This surcharge will be payable through the utility bill and will be in effect for a 20-year period as required for payment of the construction bonds.
Sewer service fee – a cost to process the sewage.
Sheeting -- metal panels used when necessary (e.g. high groundwater, loose sand) that create a wall to support an excavation.
St. Augustine -- a turf grass that is common in warm, humid areas. It can be grown in a wide variety of soils, but grows best in well-drained, fertile soils. To produce an acceptable quality lawn, it requires watering and fertilizing.
Staging area -- a location where people, vehicles, equipment or material are assembled for the life of a particular construction project.
Sod – the turf and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots; carpet-like sheets of turf.
Swale — Drain or open channel designed to convey or retain storm water.
Wastewater - water that has been used in homes, industries, and businesses that is not for reuse; Also known as sewage.
Wastewater conveyance system – a system that manages wastewater flowing to the laterals from the house into sanitary sewer pipe through manholes to the pump station; Once at the pump station, the wastewater is pumped under pressure through a force main to a wastewater treatment plant; the wastewater is treated and injected into an injection well that pumps the treated water into the ground at approximately 3,000 feet deep.
Wastewater treatment plant – a facility for cleaning and removing harmful substances in the treatment of wastewater -- in the transformation to fresh water -- before discharging into a water body.
Water main – underground pipes that transport water to the area neighborhoods; a primary pipe used to carry water from the source to storage facilities and to points along the distribution system.
Water meter – a mechanical device that measures and records the amount of water consumption; used for monthly billing of water and sewer services. Also known as irrigation meter.
Water Table -- The level below the land surface at which the subsurface material is fully saturated with water.
Wet well -- A compartment or tank of a pump station that collects wastewater.